The Methodological Development of the German Balance of Payments since 1924

When examining the evolution of statistics or accounting frameworks such as the Balance of Payments, it is crucial to distinguish between the underlying concepts and the statistical methods used. While the concepts encompass the basic objectives and the definition of the characteristics to be collected, thereby determining their meaning, the methodology sets out how to obtain the required information. Both elements are fundamental to the work of official statistics. The following article focuses on the methodological development of the German Balance of Payments, as only this varies from country to country, while the concept applied in most countries follows the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The first part of this article sheds some light on the early stages of the establishment of a Balance of Payments system in Germany and the methods used for its compilation. The second part provides an overview of how statistical compilation was re-established in Germany after the Second World War and explains why a purely statistical collection system was chosen in the early years. Finally, the conceptual and methodological work of the Bundesbank in various international fora of the ECB, Eurostat, the IMF, the OECD and the UN is briefly reviewed.